We are the Yarbrough
family.
Lyric, Amanda, Tilly, Brandon, Eden, and Phoebe
We need your help to purchase
a wheelchair accessible van in order
to safely “Drive Little Eden.”
About Little Eden
This is Eden on a good day.
This is Eden on a not-so-good
day.
Our not so good days outnumber our
good days probably 10:1.
Eden is 9 years old and AMAZING. That’s the word we use for her. The medical professionals call her a conundrum. Even though Eden has been diagnosed with
Autism, a growth and developmental delay, and a minor brain abnormality, her
behaviors and medical issues still baffle the medical professionals.
When Eden was 3, she started
slamming and punching her head and would find ways to hurt herself. That behavior
has continued to this day. It has left
her unable to walk the majority of the last few years. If she is not contained with her safety
equipment, she will immediately start slamming her head on the floor, ground,
wall, or any hard surface she can find.
A Little Bit About our Big Girls
We have 3 beautiful teenage
girls: Phoebe, Tilly, and Lyric.
They were all adopted from
China at the age of 13. As you can imagine,
13 years in an orphanage takes a toll on a child. All three girls have medical and
developmental challenges, from brain injuries of unknown origin to blindness to
trauma. The list could continue but out
of respect for their privacy I will stop here.
My big girls did not get an
education in China nor all the fun activities that many kiddos here in the US
experience. So…we try to make up for
lost time. We homeschool and were able
to start each girl at a preschool level when they came home. They work hard and love to learn.
All my girls are involved in
multiple activities as well as various doctor and therapy appointments. On a weekly basis we have multiple
appointments that require loading and unloading Eden in the van. This has become physically challenging for
me.
How We Currently Roll
We have been taking Eden places
by literally picking her up while strapped in her car seat, loading her and her
car seat in the van, unloading her in her car seat and putting it in her wagon
to go anywhere. This has worked fine
until the last couple of years, when two things happened that made this system
unsafe and physically strenuous:
1.
She hit a growth spurt!! Currently the weight of Eden, her weighted
blankets, and her car seat are about 60lbs. And I’m not 21 anymore!!!! One back
injury and my whole family’s daily schedule is adversely affected.
2.
She became very combative.
The last few years Eden began hitting and kicking, head butting and
biting us. In August, I was loading her
in the van and she kicked the doorframe so hard that it sent us falling
backward into another parked car. Had
that car not been there, we would have been on the asphalt.
Here are a couple of videos loading Eden into and out of the van.
Eden was recently fitted for
a special needs wheelchair and should receive it the end of November. This special wheelchair will be equipped with
the necessary safety equipment to allow us to contain her and safely transport
her. It will be fitted with mechanical
clamps to lock it in place and has been crash tested for safety. So….we need this van to “Drive Little Eden!”
Brandon and I have been
researching vans for a few weeks now. We
originally thought we would just convert ours, but it is too old and has too
many miles. In order to convert a van to
be wheelchair accessible, it must be less than 2 years old and have less than 50,000
miles. Our Honda Odyssey is almost 12
years old and has over 155,000 miles.
The reason a van has the age and mileage cap is because it costs $25,000- $28,000 to convert a van.
How We Need to Roll in the Very Near Future
We have looked at several
vans and have chosen the Toyota Sienna, with a manual side entry ramp. It is rated high in safety, reliability, and
durability. Manual side entry vans are
not as common as power ramp vans, but they are less expensive and have a lower
upkeep cost.
We will need to add a
removable captain middle seat because someone has to sit beside Eden when
traveling.
We are looking at new and
used (as long as they meet the age and mileage requirements) Siennas to convert
or newer ones that are already converted. If we do purchase and then convert, it will
take about 6 weeks, so that is not the way we want to go. If we find a deal, that is what we will do! This
will be our family van and will be used long term.
Breakdown of Cost
Toyota Sienna: approximately $27,000 plus tax, title, and
tag
Conversion: $25,000-$28,000
plus tax
Tie Down System: $450 plus tax
Total: approximately $56,000 plus tax
Based on these numbers, we
set our goal at $60,000 for the van
and to cover all the associated
taxes and fees.
If there is any extra money
when we purchase the van, it will go to safety and therapy equipment for Eden and/or
copays which are about $640 a month for
our kiddos.
How You Can Help
We were going to start a
fundraising page through an online provider, but realized that they charged the
donor 5% plus PayPal will charge 2.9% plus $0.30 to pay out the money. We want your donation to go where it is
needed, so we decided an online fundraising site would not make us good
stewards of the blessing God is using you for.
You can make a donation in the following ways:
1.
You can mail a
check, payable to Brandon or Amanda Yarbrough, to Shaw Gookin, PO Box 4124 Huntsville AL, 35815. This is a dear friend of ours that is
allowing us to use his PO box for this purpose.
2.
You can contact
me directly for our address and I will privately give it to you.
PayPal will charge 2.9% plus $0.30 of your
donation.
4.
You can donate
with an online check via our email.
or phone:
256-457-1833,
or
message on Facebook
Thank you in
advance for your help and your prayers!
The Yarbrough Family
